Shadowed Light, Darkness Bright
by WhiteFyre
Summary: The four guys force a wager that makes Sunako have to face the idea that she may not have the labels of “creatures of Light” and “creatures of Dark” to use as an excuse to hide any more. Kyohei and Sunako, sort of.
1. Prologue

**Shadowed Light, Darkness Bright**

Summary: the four guys force a wager that makes Sunako have to face the idea that she may not have the labels of "creatures of Light" and "creatures of Dark" to use as an excuse any more

Disclaimer: Not mine, but not yours to take.

Author's Note: This takes place RIGHT after the end of the fourth manga, so it almost, but no quite ties in with the fifth. Also, bewarned of spoilers, in the roundabout sense. First fanfic I'm posting on here... i really hope you enjoy!

Prologue

Kyohei put down the telephone receiver with a click, a grim look on his face.

"Fine," he said, as Yuki, Ranmaru, and Takenaga looked on in horror.

"K-Kyohei?" Yuki asked hesitantly, tears forming in the corner of his eyes. "Was the landlady really serious? She's coming in three days for a formal dinner party?"

"And she expects to see you and Sunako-chan together?" Takenaga added.

"Together, with Sunako-chan acting like a _Lady_ ," Ranmaru corrected with a moan.

"Or the rent triples," Kyohei confirmed.

There was a moment's silence between the four handsome guys, then all four, suddenly in chibi form, began wailing.

"We're _doomed_ …. Really, really doomed!" Takenaga said. "And it's all Kyohei's fault!"

Yuki paused in his wailing, thinking. "You know, you're really right. It _is_ all Kyohei's fault."

"Hey!" Kyohei roared. "How are you blaming this on me!"

"Think about it," Ranmaru said reasonably. "Sunako-chan won't come out of her room because she and her pumpkin are too busy watching Halloween movies. She's doing this in the middle of November because she slept right through Halloween. She slept right through Halloween because _someone_ had to hypnotize her into pretending to be your girlfriend, and never bothered to snap her out of it. Thus, if _you_ don't get her to cooperate and do this, it'll all be your fault."

"And since you started it, you can pay however much the difference in rent is if it goes up," Takenaga added as Yuki nodded happily.

"Misers!" Kyohei shouted. "You should at least be thankful the Halloween party put her in a better mood! She may even be more open to the suggestion now, you jerks! And this was after all of _you_ got too scared to pretend dating her. Besides," he muttered, "making up the Halloween party was Noi-chan's idea. If this plan tanks, I say Takenaga should pay for it."

"No deal," Ranmaru shook his head, while Takenaga shouted denial from behind him. "It's your act, and if you don't prove us wrong, the rent's all yours."

"You know, Ranmaru seems… different," Takenaga mused.

"He's currently wrecking the home of a no-nonsense business attourney," Yuki explained knowingly. "I think she's rubbing off on him."

"Ahh…."

"Fine," Kyohei growled, and stomped to the door of Sunako's room and pounded on the door. "Come on! We need to leave for classes soon!"

It took a moment, but soon the door creaked open, then Sunako, blinking at the brightness for a moment, came out of her room humming a song from "The Nightmare Before Christmas," a content smile on her face.

"You've moved on to Christmas now?" Kyohei asked her, rolling his eyes. He wasn't sure if it bothered him that he accepted her creepiness as normal now. At least it saved him the problem of always shuddering every time she brought out Josephine or Hiroshi-kun. She just nodded happily and moved to the door, her dark hat pulled down low.

"Er, Kyohei?" Takenaga asked. "Don't you think you should bring up the…"

"Don't you want to eat a decent meal tonight?" Kyohei snapped back. Pretend to be a couple with Sunako? It only worked last time because he hypnotized her, and he had been desperate. His housemates wouldn't let him get away with it that way this time… and Sunako-chan was probably even more adverse to it than he was. He couldn't bring it up with her yet, not until he had an idea how. "You know how she gets when we bring up her having to act like a lady. If I bring it up now, she'll lock herself up in her room, and it'll be Yuki's cooking tonight."

"…That's a good point," Ranmaru admitted. "But the two of you have to agree to this tonight. We'll help in any way we can."

"Though we won't try to steal her horror movies for you," Yuki shuddered. "We barely escaped with our lives last time!"

"Fine," Kyohei grumped, and the four boys left for classes, all worried about what it would take to avoid the rent this time around.


	2. Laying the Stakes

**Shadowed Light, Darkness Bright**

Part 1: Laying the Stakes

Once Sunako and the four guys arrived at Mori high, the reaction was the same as it always was. Girls crowded as close as they could while still keeping reverent distance to moan out their daydreams of coming even close to the four guys. But every glance that was sent in Sunako's direction was followed by dark whispers and open shudders.

It was always the same, in classes, at lunch, all the longing sighs for the four boys and the disdainful murmurs for their unorthodox housemate. Sunako never bothered to worry about it. Even if the four creatures of light somehow miraculously changed her into a "lady" as her aunt constantly wants, the world would still look at her the same, would still judge and find lacking. At least in this way, she didn't have to care about their opinions, in the way she knew she would if she ever had to shed her protective skin as a creature of dark and join those in the light. And she _really_ enjoyed her life like this.

But was she becoming more contaminated by them? The questioned needled her even as she dug through her bento and thought about "Friday the Thirteenth." The four creatures of light didn't make her always feel like she was going to melt anymore. At least, not as much, and only when she saw them one at a time. For a very short period of time. But still, there was a difference now, and even if her housemates never noticed it, she did, and so did Josephine, Akira-kun and Hiroshi-kun. They never looked at her the same since they discovered that the creature of light had _kissed_ her. She understood, after it was explained, that it was meaningless without love, but still, the contamination was there, and they all knew it. She still didn't care about the opinions of all the creatures of light she attended classes with, or even those of people _pretending_ to be creatures of light. The four that she lived with though, they _didn't_ judge her. They sometimes almost even understood her a little: and sometimes, they even defended her to other creatures of light. She realized with a sinking feeling that her world and theirs were no longer divided. They _mattered_…

"Sunako-chan!" Yuki said, from right beside her.

"We were looking for you," Takenaga said form her other side, putting a light hand on her shoulder. Noi-chan was standing just behind him.

Sunako should have been suspicious. She may have been constantly lost in her gory day-dreams, but even she knew that these creatures of light had their limits. They never sought her out unless there was an ulterior motive involved.

The sudden appearance, and the fact that there were _three_ of them caught her off guard, though. She was almost blinded just sitting there. She looked from one to the other, and there was a small _bwip_ as blood trickled from her nose.

"You're getting much better at that," Noi-chan beamed as she handed her a tissue. "Usually, it's a full gush!"

"Look, Yuki and I were talking," Takenaga said, wisely taking his hand form her shoulder. "We decided it was unfair to have this just dropped on you, and since Kyohei always seems to botch it up anyway, we wanted to let you know now…"

"You see, your aunt called this morning…" Yuki added.

Sunako shivered. Her aunt never scared her the same way she scared the creatures of light that Sunako lived with, but her every call _always_ led to renewed efforts to make her a Lady, to bring her out into the light and leave her there to melt.

"This time you have to interact with people, Sunako, and you're aunt will be watching you," Yuki said.

"The only reason you never had to go on all those blind dates was because Kyohei hypnotized you, but we won't let him do that to you again," Takenaga added.

Sunako blinked. "…Hypnotized me?"

All of a sudden, from above them came a ground trembling, mortar-shaking wail of absolute despair and grief. Teachers and students looked up in fear. Sunako looked up in interest. The three creatures of light all stared at each other, wide-eyed. "Ranmaru!"

Ranmaru came strolling into the cafeteria, a smug look on his face, and sat down at the table beside her friends, and Sunako groaned softly. _Another_ creature of light.

"Ranmaru-kun, what did you do?" Noi-chan demanded.

"I arranged things so that Kyohei couldn't back out of this," Ranmaru explained, still looking smug. "He should thank me. I think I made his job much easier."

He had to shout the end of his sentence, because after the wail, came the sound of a thundering stampede, heading straight for the cafeteria.

The doors slammed open, and there was Kyohei in all his Death-Glaring glory.

" **_RANMARU!_**"

Sunako slapped her hands to her eyes. This made _five_ creatures of light. This was too much.

Before Kyohei could say any more, the roaring crowd, made of raging, heartbroken, screaming teenaged girls finally caught up to Kyohei… and stormed past. After blinking in surprise, Kyohei watched speechlessly as the mass of girls went straight to the table where Sunako, Yuki, Takenaga, Noi-chan, and Ranmaru were sitting at. Then, as one, they glared at despair at Sunako.

"Is it true!" They demanded.

"Please, say it's not so!"

"Are you and Kyohei-kun really a _couple_!"

"You're not _worthy_ !"

"We all know that he deserves better than something like you."

_...What…?_ Sunako thought. They were asking if her and a creature of light were a couple? Well, that was ridiculous… no creature of light would be with her, and she was happy that way. It made everything easier for everyone. They could keep him.

"What makes you think she's not worthy?" Noi-chan demanded. "Have you ever tried getting to know her? She's smarter and more amazing than any of you could ever be. If anything, Kyohei-kun would go out with her before he'd _consider_ any of you!"

"She's right," Kyohei-kun said, and the icy glare he used gave Sunako a small squirt of a nose-bleed, and gave everyone else chills. "Sunako-chan _is_ more worthy than the lot of you put together. Much more 'deserving' than the likes of any of you." He gave an absolutely chilling smile as he strolled over to the table and draped an arm lightly around Sunako's shoulders.

"You heard the truth. We _are_ a couple. Sunako-chan is my girlfriend."

There was a soft "thud" as Sunako's unconscious body hit the floor.


	3. Wager

Part 2: Wager

"Sunako…Sunako-chan?"

She groggily opened her eyes, and immediately snapped them shut in utter pain. Four creatures of light, three of the guys and Noi-chan were bowed over her, and she wasn't sure if the light would blind her first, or melt her. She moaned.

"Idiots," Kyohei muttered, leaning up against the far wall. "That's not going to help her any." He came over and shoved his way through to Sunako, and swiftly picked her up, ignoring the spurts of blood coming from her nose. "I'm taking her to the basement, it's dark there." Sunako blinked, and then realized that while she was unconscious, the five had brought her back home. And _not_ deposited her in her room, she mentally added in frustration. Then her senses finally fully came back to her, and she realized that one of the stupid creatures of light was cradling her _in his arms_. She groaned again.

"Shut up, and keep your eyes closed if the light's bothering you," Kyohei snapped. "I can't stand it in your room, but the basement's dark enough. We need to talk, and you need to be coherent for it."

He reached the door to the basement, kicked it open, stomped through it with Sunako in his arms, and kicked it shut behind him before any of the others could follow. Kyohei thought he could almost hear the sounds of Yuki crying softly at being thwarted, and Noi-chan commenting jealously about how much it looked like he was carrying Sunako-chan over the threshold.

Kyohei set her down, and she carefully re-opened her eyes, breathing a sigh of relief in the darkness. She could already feel her frayed nerves calming. This was where she belonged.

"Feel better?" Kyohei asked gruffly. He sat on the floor, leaning up against the far wall. Once the door was closed completely, it was pitch black in the basement. He couldn't see a thing.

"Yes," Sunako said simply. Then, "You lied to them."

"They needed to hear it," Kyohei responded indifferently. "The hoard of air-headed girls after you needed something to knock them into place. Though I plan to have some words with Ranmaru for getting them all riled up."

"You're only doing it for the rent," Sunako said, and Kyohei quieted. "I don't bother paying attention to the world of light, but I'm not oblivious to it. We both know that's what behind all this. If it weren't for my aunt and the promise of free rent, none of the for of you would even talk to me. And we'd all be happier that way."

"It _was_ the rent at the beginning. It was an offer we couldn't refuse, until we all realized that you didn't like the situation any more than we did." Kyohei snorted. "And by then the school hated you for living with us. I'm not a bleeding heart, but only an idiot would leave you hanging out to dry in _that_ situation." He leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. There was no point in having them open in here, anyway. "Besides, you tend to grow on people. Yuki idolizes you, Takenaga has no problem with your room anymore, and even Ranmaru is willing to keep an eye on you." He added in a soft mutter, "Even though that idiot has a stupid way of showing it."

"But if we never met, you wouldn't have needed to bother with making up lies to defend me, or forcing me to be a lady," Sunako said. "We'd all have been much happier if you just left me in the dark."

"Do you really mean that?" Kyohei asked, an odd note in his voice. "That you wish you had never met us at all?"

Sunako looked at him. She had much better vision in the dark than he had, and while it wasn't enough to blind her, she could see a slumped silhouette, leaning against the wall. _Did_ she really mean that? She really... didn't know anymore. Best to ignore the question and plow forward.

"They'll never accept it, you know," she told him. "Us as a couple. They know I could never belong with a creature of light…"

"Will you stop using that term!" Kyohei snapped, sitting up, and Sunako could almost see his eyes glow. "Creatures of light, creatures of dark… it's stupid! How exactly do you go about deciding who's a creature of light and who's one of dark, eh? By looks? I make girls swoon and I'm an official creature of light? If that's all you judge me by, you're no different from anyone else harassing you at school. You're _exactly_ like them."

Sunako frowned. That wasn't true…it wasn't. There was more to it than that. "You're not a creature of dark, either. My room still scares you. _I_ still scare you. I _enjoy_ being in dark places where I don't have to see or be seen, where I can be in peace with Josephine and Hiroshi-kun and Akira-kun, and where no one else would bother me. God created you out of light, and creatures like me out of dark."

"And have you completely forgotten how you _started_ this notion of being a creature of darkness?" Kyohei demanded. "You _chose_ it, remember? It wasn't a role given to you by God. What if _He_ meant for you to be a creature of light? Hey? What if you were really one of us, then _one_ idiot says _one_ thing that wasn't even true, and you run away to your darkness, and embrace that which wasn't even supposed to be yours to begin with--"

" _That's not true_," Sunako said, standing. Kyohei couldn't see her, but he could as good as feel her presence, radiating anger. Well, maybe provoking her wasn't the best way to go about it.

"That's not true," Sunako repeated coldly. "I have _never_ been as happy as I am in the darkness, even in the days when I was pretending to be a creature of light. The darkness brings me peace. I can be who _I_ am, not try to be beautiful or to have the world tell me what I am!"

"I'm not saying that the darkness is bad," Kyohei said quietly. "Sometimes you're not the only one who hates being in the light. But what if there _is_ a creature of light in you? I don't mean a lady. That's a technicality just to make your aunt happy. What if you _do_ have light in you that's inspired by more than blood and nightmares?"

"I don't," she answered coldly.

"Then prove it," Kyohei stood. His eyes were beginning to adjust, and he stared straight at the dark silhouette he was facing. "You're aunt's coming for a dinner party on Saturday, but anyone can act for a couple of hours, even out of spite." He gave a dry chuckle as he felt the anger radiating out of Sunako. " _Especially_ out of spite. So I don't want an act. I want you to actually _try_ to live in the light, maybe even become one of us in it. For two days."

"Two _days_!" Sunako choked out, her voice torn between shock and anger.

"Two days," Kyohei said. "Prove me wrong. You have to really try, but see if you can prove me wrong. See if you can live in the light for two whole days without becoming part of the light yourself. And in return, I'll prove to you that I'm not just a creature of light. I'll live in the dark with you. For _three_ days. Fair?"

"No!" Sunako shouted back. "The only reason you're saying this is because you want me to pretend to be a lady and save you rent!"

"No, I'm _not_," Kyohei growled back. "I'm saying this, because I'm sick of you being so cowardly and hiding in the dark, and harping out the excuse that you're not a creature of light, so you can't come near us!" He reached out and grabbed Sunako by the shoulders, pulling her dark face to within inches of his. "I'll even make it more interesting. If you live in the light, and try to accept it, for two days, and _not_ have changed at all because of it, I'll stop trying to make you a lady. I swear. I can't guarantee Yuki, Oda, or Ranmaru will do the same, but I won't join in with them anymore. And if I can prove to you after three days of living in the dark that I'm _not_ just a 'creature of light,' you have to swear to _never_ use that phrase again. You'd address me by my name, or not at all."

Sunako froze. Normally, Kyohei this close to her would bother her, but in the dark, she couldn't see his light, wasn't blinded. She couldn't get her head around the idea.

"Really?" she asked, uncertain.

"Really," he said. "Just try to live in the light for two days. Everything about you being my girlfriend or a lady we'll deal with when it comes."

She was so torn. Live in the painful, searing light for _days_? Surrounded by creatures who were sure to blind her, and be unable to run to her safety of darkness? But… to have one less person to fight against in the war to make her a lady, to remove the one person who could get through her better than any other? Be able to hide in her darkness forever after? Was it worth it?

Kyohei dropped his hands from Sunako's shoulders and held one out for a handshake. "Agreed?"

Sunako paused, then firmly grabbed his hand with her own. "Fine."


	4. Forfeit?

_"There she is."_

_"It's not true… it can't be!"_

_"But he said it himself, in front of everybody!"_

_"I just can't believe it… why would Kyohei-kun want to be with _her_?"_

It was almost the same tirade every day. Sunako could hear the whispers everyone spoke while they thought she wasn't listening. If it wasn't about her living with the four guys, it was about them talking to her, eating her bentos. Normally, Sunako couldn't care less, but, she mentally added in anger, today she _had_ to listen. Tomorrow, she would have to sink back to being on of _them_, and in order to be one of them, what they said now had to matter to her.

Rage boiled up in her again, at Kyohei for talking her into this, and at herself for getting hooked up into it. The offer was so tempting… but she could never pull it off. She'd go blind, she'd melt, and she'd have no choice but to become caught up in a world obsessed with looks and fake beauty once more.

The bell rang, marking the end of class, and Sunako made her decision. It would mean still having to fight all four of them in their battle to make her a lady, but at least she could spend every single day during the fight in her bliss-filled darkness.

She passed a flock of fangirls, figuring that she would find at least one of the ones she was looking for beyond their masses. Sure enough, at the other side of the mob were Yuki and Ranmaru, carrying their bentos and looking for a place to eat. She didn't even slow as she passed them.

"I won't do it," she told them. "I will never become a Creature of Light, and I refuse to try."

Yuki dropped his bento in surprise, and Ranmaru's winning smile faltered for a moment.

"Sunako-chan, you don't mean that!" Yuki called out after her.

"Yes I do," Sunako said. "Tell the others."

She then pulled her toque down and headed for where she always ate her lunch: a spare classroom in the back corner of the school. The lights were never on, and there was an outside over-hang just above the windows, so even when the sun was at its brightest the room was still dim, but there could still be a view of the courtyard below.

Sunako slipped into the room and sighed in relief as the light from outside the door faded. She wasn't able to come the day before because the Mori High musical theatre group always practiced there, filling the room with lights and annoying music. And so, she was forced to go to the cafeteria, where this whole ridiculous and disastrous thing started. However, the room was always empty on Thursdays, and Sunako let the darkness sink into her every pore.

_This is where I belong. This is where I feel safe, and happy, and can be left alone to be exactly how I want to be. I don't need the light. I don't need that wager. And I don't –_

The door flung open and light flooded it, and Sunako turned around and hissed.

"Hey, Sunako-chan," Takenaga said, stepping into the room, and closing the door completely behind him. "Sorry, I'll keep the room dark, but I want to talk to you."

Sunako didn't bother saying anything, just turned back to her almost-window seat and stared back out the window and the crows flying nearby.

Takenaga came to sit down beside her, but not close enough to bother her, and he made sure to not look directly at her. The four guys had learned a lot through trial and error what was needed to keep Sunako in a lucid state (with fewer bloody noses).

"Didn't think I'd actually find you here." He said conversationally. "We all thought up of the four darkest places in the school, and we each went to one. I lucked out. We sent Kyohei to the hidden cellar down stairs. The place is pitch black and full of cobwebs. We were _sure_ you went there."

Sunako sat bolt upright. "There's a hidden school cellar?"

Takenaga grinned. The things that got her excited… "I'll tell you about it after. First, tell my why you're giving up on the bet?"

Sunako slumped back down again. A tiny tidbit of a new dark place and then they want to drag her back into the light. Was that all they were obsessed about?

"I can't. I'll melt. I'll go blind." _I'll become as vapid and pointless as the rest of them_.

"You agreed to it yesterday…"

"And today I realized I can't. So I'm done."

Takenaga gave her a curious look out of the side of his eye. "If its only that that's really bothering you, I can mention it to Yuki. He's really clever in coming up with things to fix problems like that. We _will_ help you as much as we can, but you have to at least try to hold up your bargain with Kyohei."

"I won't become like them."

"The Creatures of Light?" Takenaga asked. "You don't have to _become_ like one, just -- "

"I meant the _almost_ creatures of light," Sunako muttered, deliberately saying it so that it would sound like it wasn't capitalized.

Takenaga paused and thought for a moment, trying to decipher what Sunako was trying to say. "Do you mean those who try to be a creature of light but aren't beautiful enough?" He frowned. That wouldn't be it. "Or do you mean those beautiful enough to be _look_ like creatures of light, but are actually ugly on the inside?"

He bit his lip at the use of the word "ugly," but with Sunako's nod, he knew he had gotten it bang on.

He paused. "You don't mean Noi-chan, do you?" He asked worriedly.

Sunako shook her head. "_She's_ a Creature of Light. On the inside, too. But the other ones aren't blinding. They look like they should make me want to melt, but they have ugly insides, so they never do."

Takenaga almost smiled. She was smart and strong and independent, but _this_ was why they liked Sunako. The four guys at the house knew she was different from the other girls, and different in more than just her hobbies and lifestyle. The landlady was no idiot. She had always claimed she wanted the boys to fix her niece, but Takenaga wouldn't put it past her if she had set the whole thing up so that the boys would learn a thing or two as well.

He looked out the window beside Sunako, staring at the same crows she was. "I hope you're not saying no because you think you'll end up like those 'almost' creatures of light. You never could. I know you don't want to be a full creature of light, but you'll never be an 'almost' one. You aren't ugly enough. On the inside, or the outside."

He hoped that made sense to her. Takenaga meant every word, but it was always Ranmaru who was so eloquent with words when complimenting the ladies.

There was a moment of silence, until Sunako finally said. "Do you know the terms of our agreement?"

Takenaga nodded, and grimaced. They had, of course, tried to eavesdrop on her and Kyohei while they were in the basement, but while they couldn't hear what Kyohei had said to actually get Sunako to agree to the whole thing in the first place, the argument they had after to decide what the terms were had carried through the whole house.

Sunako had the live in the light from Friday morning until Saturday night, when the landlady's party was. She was _not_ allowed to go into her room, but each day, Hiroshi-kun, Akira-kun and Josephine would be brought out to her, and she could have fifteen minutes of alone time with them. And – _everyone_ knew Kyohei pushed this point out of sheer nastiness – at least once a day, Sunako had to _smile_, a non-creepy one, at a time when she'd have at least two witnesses.

As soon as the landlady's dinner party was done, Sunako's half was over, and Kyohei had to spend the time from Saturday night until Tuesday at noon in the dark with Sunako. In that time, he had to watch two of Sunako's worst slasher movies, perform at least one arcane ceremony, learn the inner workings of an anatomical model, and carry John with him _everywhere_.

"Don't worry, Sunako-chan," Takenaga said. "If I know anything about Kyohei, he's not going to double-cross you on something like this."

Sunako gave a sharp nod. "Make sure he keeps to his end of things, and I'll do my end of the bargain." She stood and left, determined to find this black cellar by the end of the day.

Takenaga didn't bother stopping her, since he knew exactly where she was going. As soon as he heard the door click behind him, he finally let himself smile openly.

"Fine," he said.

------------------------------------

A/N:Can you believe it? Finally another chapter! I'm SOOO sorry for making everyone wait this long, especially after all the really awesome (and inspiring) reviews! This next little bit, with Sunako in the light was definately more than a little pain to write, and there's still at least 4 more chapters of it coming. BUT, i actually plan (HOPE!!) to have another chapter for this posted this afternoon! THANKYOU again all of you who waited so patiently and reviewed so kindly. This is definately only here because of you!


	5. EnLightenment

Part 4: EnLightenment

"Kyohei!" Yuki shouted, charging down the stairs. Kyohei looked up from his burnt toast as the other boy bounded to the breakfast table he was sitting at.

"What?" he demanded irritably.

"You should see her!" He exulted, breathless. "Ranmaru and Takenaga did wonders with her. I think I helped, too. Takenaga told me she was going to have trouble actually seeing in the light, so I got her these contacts that don't affect the vision, but act as tiny sunglasses, so everything won't be as bright for her. And I got her this really cool cream that keeps your skin cool so that she won't melt… Why are you eating charcoal?"

"It's not charcoal," Kyohei grumped. "It's toast." It was the morning that started his wager with Sunako, and he was furious. Their own household ghoul willingly agreed to at least _try_ to be a so-called "Creature of Light," and for the first morning since she had arrived at the house, there wasn't even a stitch of food on the breakfast table. Sunako didn't answer even when he pounded on her door, and none of the other boys were in their room. And so, hungry, alone, and forced to fend for himself, Kyohei made his own breakfast.

"Kyohei…" Yuki said dubiously. "You can't make _toast_?"

"I wouldn't have to worry about making my own toast if Sunako was actually up this morning to make breakfast!" Kyohei snapped.

"Why are you in such a rotten mood?" Yuki demanded. "And why are you taking this all out on Sunako?"

"Because she ran away again!" Kyohei launched his toast against the wall. It hit with a dry solid _thunk_ and clunked onto the floor. "She ran away _again_. She didn't want to face the world and all the stupid bright creatures in it that she can't stand, so she holes up in her big black room and ignores us all!"

"Haven't you heard a word I've said?" Yuki demanded. Kyohei was about to snap back, but then caught the look in Yuki's eyes. There were minor tears forming at the corner of his eyes, in terror of Kyohei's suddenly lost temper. But for the first time in all recorded history, Yuki looked ready to hit the other boy, and, in shock, Kyohei quieted down.

"Stop trying to beat up on Sunako for all this! The only reason she wasn't here to make you your precious breakfast was because she came to find us as soon as she woke up so that we could fix her up a bit for today, as part of _your_ wager. She didn't even _fight_ the make-up and hair styling, just to prove to _you_ that she doesn't back out of a deal. She hasn't said a word all morning, but she's not going to run off on your deal, if that's what you're all ticked off about!"

A tiny muscle just above Kyohei's lip twitched. "She's been getting ready all morning?"

Yuki softened, then beamed. "Yes. She's upstairs right now. You're probably the only one who can get her to say anything at all today, so at least pay her a compli – hey!"

Kyohei had suddenly sat straight up halfway through Yuki's sentence, then shoved himself up from the table and bolted for the stairs.

"Kyohei… hey! Kyohei!" Yuki shouted, running after him. "What's wrong?"

"She's on autopilot," he growled. "You said she won't talk. She's just become introverted within herself to force herself through this. She'll let the light put her in a coma before she gives in, and then the landlady will _really_ kill – "

He stopped halfway up the stairs. At the top was Sunako, looking like a Creature of Light. She still had her dark uniform, but the toque was gone and her hair was styled, partly curled, partly pinned up. A dark silk rose was clipped up just behind her ear, feminine, but stately. Her makeup was soft, but noticeable, emphasizing her large eyes and fine cheekbones. Tiny silver chain earrings dangled from her ears, matching the thin necklace at her throat. She had dropped her slouched posture, and suddenly seemed a lot taller than Kyohei remembered.

"—us."

Sunako took a step closer to the stairs, put a slender, un-chibi-fied hand on the banister, and looked him straight in the eye.

"Good morning, Kyohei."

Yuki came up from behind him, and beamed at Sunako. "We figured it'd really be best to not go over the top, especially on the first day. What do you think? She looks great, doesn't she?"

Kyohei was completely silent, watching Sunako. She looked like a completely different person. Something… something about her gave Kyohei an odd feeling, making him feel like his stomach was being squeezed. With a flicker of anger, he shoved the odd feeling away, determined to not let anything hamper his eating habits. Instead, he just stared at her harder. She was still looking directly at him, without any indication she was going to faint; but when he looked closer, he finally caught the constant tremble of her hand on the banister, and the tightly clenched jaw behind her expressionless face. Once he did catch it, he stifled an exasperated sigh.

_Why the hell are you fighting so hard to do this if you hate it this much, Sunako?_ It was obvious she hated every moment of it, but equally obvious that she wouldn't admit defeat to him even if he gave her a chance. Not that he was planning to. The more willing she was to go through with this wager, the closer to the landlady's good graces the boys would get, and as a result, the further _he_ would get away from rent inflation. If Sunako wanted to shoot herself in the foot because he goaded her to the point where she would stubbornly inflict her own self-torture to prove a point, he wouldn't fight it.

His eyes gave her a quick once-over as he thought, and Sunako, catching it, let her blank face slip enough to glare at him. He had to admit, he never thought she would actually follow through with it. Though Takenaga _did_ say that it wasn't actually him who cajoled Sunako into it while Kyohei was off wandering the cellars, but that she came to the decision to face it on her own. With a jolt, Kyohei suddenly realized what gave him the odd feeling. Sunako wasn't standing in front of him as someone trying to be a creature of light, but as someone not running away. She didn't want to do this, and she hated herself for being in this position, but she was not running away, and facing it on her own terms.

For the tiniest second, a small corner of his lips curved upward.

"Er… Kyohei?" Yuki asked.

"Fine," Kyohei grunted, snapping out of his thoughts. "She looks … fine."

"Oh, come on, Kyohei, she looks more than fine, she's a work of art!"

Sunako could feel Ranmaru and Takenaga coming up behind her to the stairs, but she refused to look, and forced herself to keep staring at the worst Creature of Light to ever have disrupted her life.

_You are the one who talked me into this insanity,_ she thought at the silently staring Creature. _My punishment is to burn your cursed shining face into my brain as a warning to stop myself from being this susceptible to the light ever again._

She did add a mental thank-you to Yuki at the end, though. Without his light-shading contacts, she would have been a dead and melted puddle at the bottom of the stairs by now, with an unhealthy amount of blood pouring out of her nose. Even with them, staring at this one Creature of Light for so long left her with a slight ringing at the back of her head.

"Still not saying anything, Kyohei?" Ranmaru asked. "Craftsmanship of this caliber shouldn't go unacknowledged, even by you."

Kyohei was silent for a moment, then said, "You didn't make breakfast."

As one, the other three guys slapped their hands to their foreheads.

_Ungrateful_. Even though she felt the flash of annoyance, a tiny part of Sunako was relieved. This morning had been nothing but a bright, burning, shining hell, and she hadn't even gotten to the school yet. Her nerves were frayed beyond words, and more than anything right now she wanted to run to her dark room of salvation, hold Hiroshi-kun as close as she could, and stab some very sharp nails into some _very_ lifelike voodoo dolls. The fact that she was trapped in this light and Kyohei was still treating her the same way he treated her on any other day was almost… comforting.

"Honestly, Kyohei, could you be any more of an idiot?" Takenaga demanded. "You probably slept in this morning while she was getting ready, and now you're asking her –"

"There's some wrapped up in the top cupboard." Sunako said. "Don't touch my toaster again."

In the shocked silence of the other three boys, Kyohei gave a sharp nod. "Good."

"Sunako-chan," Takenaga said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to think that we're going to make you slave away for us on top of forcing you into the light."

Sunako started at the touch, her frayed nerves causing her to spin around and stare at this other Creature of Light. For the entire morning, she had been trying to desensitize herself to the light, numbing herself from its effects as much as possible so that she'd be able to stare at that _one_ Creature that started this whole mess and not admit defeat to him. It worked for a bit, but ended up in something similar to _over_-exposure, so that with Takenaga suddenly inches from her and the sudden spin after the last few hours of light-headedness, Sunako was completely overwhelmed. She felt herself wobble and pitch down the stairs.

_If I hit the bottom and hit my head, then I can go back to the dark forever, and not even have to – _

A strong arm caught her around the waist, stopping her fall, and dragging her back to an upright position on the stairs.

"Nice try," Kyohei said, now inches away from her. "But you're not getting out of it that easily." He stuck his tongue out at her, and Sunako's knees wobbled.

Immediately the other three guys were around her, trying to help her up, asking if she was all right. Once her minor resistance to the light was gone, the brightness flooded all of Sunako's senses, and she could still feel the world start to pitch around her.

Kyohei clapped his hands over her eyes. "Too much light?" he asked into her ear. Overwhelmed, all Sunako could do was nod.

Kyohei straightened and started pushing the other three boys to an arm's length away. "It's getting late. You guys need to leave for class. Now."

Yuki blinked. "But… Sunako-chan…"

"I'll take her myself."

Takenaga began to shake his head. "Kyohei, do you really think—"

"Actually, Oda, let's leave them be." Ranmaru interjected. "This matter _is_ just between them, we're just here to help if they need it. Besides, there needs to be time for the _you know what_ to develop."

"The you know _what_?" Kyohei demanded irritably.

There were spots dancing in front of Sunako's eyes. They were painfully bright spots that, annoyingly enough, strongly resembled the brilliant faces of the Creatures of Light. _I can't do it_, she thought. _The wager is done, he wins. I'll still have another Creature of Light trying to drag me into their world, but at least I can stay in my dark sanctuary forever while they try._ By now she had completely tuned out the conversation being held around her and began mumbling.

"Hey… what's Sunako-chan saying?" Yuki asked, interrupting Kyohei's and Takenaga's argument.

All four boys paused and tried to make out Sunako's half-delirious mumble.

"…light…much…no more light… Too much light…"

As they watched her, all four exchanged sheepish looks and decided to give her some space. Kyohei propped her up on the banister, and the four boys all moved to the bottom of the stairs.

"All right, Kyohei, you win." Takenaga sighed. "Having all four of us constantly around her all day today will only make things worse for her. She's going to be your responsibility. But don't even _think_ of trying to do something stupid and over the top to make her accept the light."

Kyohei humphed. "I wouldn't do anything stupid."

"Yes you would," Yuki and Ranmaru chorused.

Kyohei finally got the other three to leave, and turning to Sunako, saw that she had carefully sat herself down on the stairs with her head in her hands to block out the light. She didn't answer to anything Kyohei said, and finally he gave up and walked to the kitchen, leaving her in peace.

_This is going to be a long day._

_-----------------------------------------_

A/N: Well, wasn't THIS a rediculously awkward chapter to write! It was THIS chapter (and probably the one immediately after it) that kept me from posting for so stinking long. It's one thing to hint about Sunako all dolled up and in the light... it's definately another to accept the insanity and try to write it. I really REALLY need to know what you guys think! I won't be posting another chapter until i know you think where i seem to be going with how her and Kyohei act around each other are right! Also...how dolled up _should_ she be? garrhh... it's all so confusing. I really do hope you like the chapter, and that if the awkwardness between our happy duo bugs you more than the painfully punned title of this chap, you'll forgive me!

PS... the sunglasses/contacts thing? They actually exist! Point in fact... Johnny Depp used them in Pirates of the Caribbean!


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